Young blood transfusion

Experiments beginning in the 1950s in the Cornell University lab of Clive McCay on pairs of old and young rodents placed into parabiosis provided some evidence, albeit limited and "largely anecdotal", that the circulation of blood from young mice increased both the longevity and the tissue function of old mice.{{cite journal | vauthors = Conboy MJ, Conboy IM, Rando TA | title = Heterochronic parabiosis: historical perspective and methodological considerations for studies of aging and longevity | journal = Aging Cell | volume = 12 | issue = 3 | pages = 525–530 | date = June 2013 | pmid = 23489470 | pmc = 4072458 | doi = 10.1111/acel.12065 }} After decades in which relatively little work on parabiosis in aging was done, the work was revived by researchers at Stanford University and the University of California at Berkeley.{{cite journal | vauthors = Scudellari M | title = Ageing research: Blood to blood | journal = Nature | volume = 517 | issue = 7535 | pages = 426–429 | date = January 2015 | pmid = 25612035 | doi = 10.1038/517426a | ref = nature | doi-access = free | bibcode = 2015Natur.517..426S }} Parabiosis experiments are difficult to generalize, as the circulatory systems of the mice are fully joined and it is unclear whether the benefits come from the sharing of blood or the older mouse's access to the younger mouse's organs.

A study conducted at UC Berkeley found that when delivered alone, blood from older mice was more inhibitory to the regenerative capacities of younger mice than blood from younger mice was beneficial to older ones, and that the benefit of young blood in older mice was less than had been observed when older mice were subjected to parabiosis.{{cite journal | vauthors = Rebo J, Mehdipour M, Gathwala R, Causey K, Liu Y, Conboy MJ, Conboy IM | title = A single heterochronic blood exchange reveals rapid inhibition of multiple tissues by old blood | journal = Nature Communications | volume = 7 | pages = 13363 | date = November 2016 | pmid = 27874859 | pmc = 5121415 | doi = 10.1038/ncomms13363 | doi-access = free | bibcode = 2016NatCo...713363R }}{{cite journal | vauthors = Mehdipour M, Skinner C, Wong N, Lieb M, Liu C, Etienne J, Kato C, Kiprov D, Conboy MJ, Conboy IM | title = Rejuvenation of three germ layers tissues by exchanging old blood plasma with saline-albumin | journal = Aging | volume = 12 | issue = 10 | pages = 8790–8819 | date = May 2020 | pmid = 32474458 | pmc = 7288913 | doi = 10.18632/aging.103418 }} Replacing plasma of old mice with saline and albumin from young mice was sufficient to rejuvenate brain, liver, and muscle. A 2020 review of plasma components that change with age identified several candidate anti-aging and pro-aging factors.{{cite journal | vauthors = Kang JS, Yang YR | title = Circulating plasma factors involved in rejuvenation | journal = Aging | volume = 12 | issue = 22 | pages = 23394–23408 | date = November 2020 | pmid = 33197235 | pmc = 7746393 | doi = 10.18632/aging.103933 }}

In experiments like this, researchers found that some of the parabiosed died quickly (11 out of 69 in one experiment) for reasons the scientists could not explain, but described as possibly some form of immune rejection; most such cases were the young parabiont. Amy Wagers, a researcher who coauthored several mouse studies on young blood transfusion, has said that her papers do not provide a scientific basis for some of the existing human trials.

A review of studies on donor age for whole blood transfusions reported that blood from donors under the age of 20 years, when compared to donors aged 20–60 years, resulted in a modestly higher risk of death in the recipients.{{cite journal | vauthors = Edgren G, Ullum H, Rostgaard K, Erikstrup C, Sartipy U, Holzmann MJ, Nyrén O, Hjalgrim H | title = Association of Donor Age and Sex With Survival of Patients Receiving Transfusions | journal = JAMA Internal Medicine | volume = 177 | issue = 6 | pages = 854–860 | date = June 2017 | pmid = 28437543 | pmc = 5540056 | doi = 10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.0890 }} However, other studies have found no effect of age.{{cite journal | vauthors = Vasan SK, Chiesa F, Rostgaard K, Magnusson PK, Halmin M, Nielsen KR, Titlestad KE, Hjalgrim H, Edgren G | title = Lack of association between blood donor age and survival of transfused patients | journal = Blood | volume = 127 | issue = 5 | pages = 658–661 | date = February 2016 | pmid = 26702060 | doi = 10.1182/blood-2015-11-683862 | doi-access = free }}{{cite journal | vauthors = Guinn NR, Waldron NH, Cooter ML, Goldberg CL, Kertai MD, Raghunathan K, Bandarenko N, Hoffman M, Bennett-Guerrero E | title = No association between donor age and recipient outcomes: transfusion of plasma in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery | journal = Transfusion | volume = 56 | issue = 7 | pages = 1723–1729 | date = July 2016 | pmid = 27105928 | doi = 10.1111/trf.13616 | s2cid = 3604995 }} Research on blood transfusion outcomes has been complicated by the lack of careful characterization of the transfusion products that have been used in clinical trials; studies had focused on how storage methods and duration might affect blood, but not on the differences among lots of blood themselves.{{cite journal | vauthors = Ning S, Heddle NM, Acker JP | title = Exploring donor and product factors and their impact on red cell post-transfusion outcomes | journal = Transfusion Medicine Reviews | volume = 32 | issue = 1 | pages = 28–35 | date = January 2018 | pmid = 28988603 | doi = 10.1016/j.tmrv.2017.07.006 }}

Another approach to achieving "younger" blood is to rejuvenate blood-producing stem cells in the bone marrow. A 2023 study reported that the existing rheumatoid arthritis drug anakinra blocked IL-1B in elderly mice and returned those cells to a more youthful state.{{Cite web | vauthors = Irving M |date=2023-02-06 |title=Arthritis drug mimics "young blood" transfusions to reverse aging in mice |url=https://newatlas.com/medical/arthritis-drug-young-blood-reverses-aging-mice/ |access-date=2023-02-06 |website=New Atlas |language=en-US}}

In February 2019 the FDA issued a warning about companies offering young blood transfusions stating: {{blockquote|"simply put, we’re concerned that some patients are being preyed upon by unscrupulous actors touting treatments of plasma from young donors as cures and remedies. Such treatments have no proven clinical benefits for the uses for which these clinics are advertising them and are potentially harmful. There are reports of bad actors charging thousands of dollars for infusions that are unproven and not guided by evidence from adequate and well-controlled trials. The promotion of plasma for these unproven purposes could also discourage patients suffering from serious or intractable illnesses from receiving safe and effective treatments that may be available to them."{{cite web |title=Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., and Director of FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., cautioning consumers against receiving young donor plasma infusions that are promoted as unproven treatment for varying conditions |url=https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm631568.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190219184651/https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm631568.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 19, 2019 |website=FDA |access-date=20 February 2019 |date=19 February 2019}}}}

A startup company, Ambrosia, has been selling "young blood transfusions" for $8,000 since 2016 framing it as a clinical trial, to see if such transfusions lead to changes in the blood of recipients.{{cite journal | vauthors = de Magalhães JP, Stevens M, Thornton D | title = The Business of Anti-Aging Science | journal = Trends in Biotechnology | volume = 35 | issue = 11 | pages = 1062–1073 | date = November 2017 | pmid = 28778607 | doi = 10.1016/j.tibtech.2017.07.004 | doi-access = free }} As of August 2017, 600 people had participated in the trial.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/shortcuts/2017/aug/21/ambrosia-the-startup-harvesting-the-blood-of-the-young|title=Ambrosia: the startup harvesting the blood of the young| vauthors = Haynes G |date=21 August 2017|work=The Guardian|access-date=23 May 2018|language=en}} The clinical trial has no control arm and so is neither randomized nor blind. As described, whole blood collected by blood banks that had passed its 42-day storage limit was centrifuged to remove cells, the resulting cell-free plasma pooled from several donations and intravenously transfused into recipients. The company was started by Jesse Karmazin, a medical school graduate without a license to practice medicine.{{cite web|url=https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603242/questionable-young-blood-transfusions-offered-in-us-as-anti-aging-remedy/|title=This startup takes cash from aging adults in exchange for young people's blood| vauthors = Maxmen A |website=MIT Technology Review|language=en|access-date=May 26, 2018|date=January 13, 2017}} David Wright is the licensed doctor overseeing the clinical trial; in his practice he administers intravenous treatments of vitamins and antibiotics for nontraditional purposes and was disciplined by the California Medical Board for the latter in 2015. Jonathan Kimmelman, a bioethicist from McGill University, suggests that Ambrosia is running this as a trial as they would be unable to get FDA approval to sell this treatment otherwise.

On February 19, 2019, Ambrosia announced it stopped testing the treatment, responding to concerns from the FDA.{{Cite news|url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/02/blood-of-the-young-wont-spare-rich-old-people-from-sadness-and-death-fda-says/|title=Blood of the young won't spare rich old people from sadness and death, FDA says| vauthors = Mole B |date=February 19, 2019|work=Ars Technica|access-date=February 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220194854/https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/02/blood-of-the-young-wont-spare-rich-old-people-from-sadness-and-death-fda-says/|archive-date=February 20, 2019}}

Another company, Alkahest, was founded based on the Stanford rodent studies. As of 2017 it is collaborating with European pharmaceutical company Grifols to create a blood plasma-based experimental biologic drug which they propose to test on people with Alzheimer's.{{cite journal | vauthors = Drew L | title = Neuroscience: The power of plasma | journal = Nature | volume = 549 | issue = 7673 | pages = S26–S27 | date = September 2017 | pmid = 28953857 | doi = 10.1038/549S26a | doi-access = free | bibcode = 2017Natur.549S..26D }}

The Maharaj Institute led by Dr. Dipnarine Maharaj MD, a Florida licensed physician, is currently running a clinical trial to test whether using G-CSF (Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor) stem cell mobilized young blood plasma can treat symptoms of frailty in patients aged 55 to 95.{{Cite web |title=ClinicalTrials.gov |url=https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03458429?term=Dipnarine%20Maharaj&rank=1 |access-date=2024-07-29 |website=clinicaltrials.gov}}{{Cite web |last=Miranda |first=Danny |title=Home - The Maharaj Institute Regenerative Medicine Services |url=https://maharajinstitute.com/ |access-date=2024-07-29 |website=The Maharaj Institute |language=en-US}}  Participation in the trial is free of charge to the patients.  This trial has been promoted by Bill Faloon, who founded the Life Extension Foundation.{{Cite news |date=2015-05-12 |title=South Florida Church Pursues Eternal Life Through Cryonics, Inflaming Critics and the IRS |url=http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/south-florida-church-pursues-eternal-life-through-cryonics-inflaming-critics-and-the-irs-7608632 |access-date=2018-06-10 |work=Miami New Times |vauthors=Funcheon D}}  The trial has received FDA Investigational New Drug (IND) and IRB approval for a Phase I/Phase II clinical trial as a single-arm study without a control group, which is not uncommon for Phase I/Phase II studies.  Dr. Maharaj also has a program for hematopoietic progenitor stem cell and immune cell banking so that patients can preserve their cells for future use.

An organization called the Young Blood Institute has also run trials; these, however, involved exchange only of blood plasma.{{cite news| vauthors = Basu T, Weill K |title=FDA Warns: Don't Give These Companies Your 'Young Blood' |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/fda-warns-dont-give-these-companies-your-young-blood |access-date=15 December 2019 |language=en |date=22 February 2019|newspaper=The Daily Beast}}

• Bryan Johnson: Tech Billionaire that attempted the practice as part of "Project Blueprint"

{{reflist}}

• {{cite news

|url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fountain-of-youth-young-blood-infusions-ldquo-rejuvenate-rdquo-old-mice/

|title=Fountain of Youth? Young Blood Infusions "Rejuvenate" Old Mice

|date=21 April 2017

|surname=Makin

|first=Simon

|work=Scientific American

|access-date=5 May 2018

}}

{{Pseudoscience}}

Category:Alternative medicine

Category:Transfusion medicine

Category:Pseudoscience